Heroes Never Falter
by n8th3gr8
Summary: Izuku Midoriya has a secret that he can't tell anyone. A fact that has been gnawing at his insides for years. A voice inside him tells him that he's worthless. He can't trust anyone. Not even the one who is closest to him. Heroes might be able to rest, but heroes should never falter. Cross-posted from AO3.


"No, please don't leave me!"

These words echoed in Izuku Midoriya's dorm room at approximately 2:56 AM. He sat up in his bed, and stared into his dark room. His breathing was deep, but fast. His heart felt like it was going to break. Is he having a heart attack? No, it can't be since his left arm wasn't numb. Although he has heard that different people show different signs of cardiac arrest.

"Ow," he said, holding his head in pain. His blood pressure must have been skyrocketing, he felt so tense. Every inch of his body was pumped full of adrenaline. He clutched his chest.

"Okay, okay just breathe. Just breathe." Izuku closed his eyes and imagined a leaf floating in front of him. In order to control his breathing he must breathe so that the leaf stays in this imaginary box, it's helped him in the past.

But Izuku started to breathe faster and faster; it wasn't working. It wasn't working. Why wasn't it working? His lungs started to spasm as he began hyperventilating, the leaf flying in the air, wildly out of control.

"Oh God. Oh God. Oh God," Izuku whispered, his body shook.

"Midoriya?" a voice suddenly rang out to Izuku's ears.

The boy let out a muted scream as he was pulled back into reality.

"Midoriya, mon ami?"

Aoyama? What was he doing awake at this hour?

"Midoriya, are you okay?" Yuga said, his voice slightly muffled from beyond Izuku's door.

_No no no not now, _Izuku thought. He didn't want to answer; he didn't want to deal with anyone right now. He can't let anybody see him like this.

"Izuku, I'm coming in, okay?" The door knob started to rattle.

"No!" Izuku cried. Suddenly the rattling door knob stopped.

"Izuku? Are you alright?" said Yuga.

Izuku gulped. "Y-yeah, Yuga. I just had a nightmare."

There was silence at the other end of the door for a moment. "Mon dieu! Do you want to talk about it?" Yuga exclaimed.

Izuku sighed a breath of relief, he doesn't have to talk him for any longer. "No, it's okay, Yuga. Thanks."

"Well, if you need anything, just tell me, okay?"

"Thanks, Yuga."

"You'll never amount to anything, you quirkless piece of trash."

Izuku's face went pale as snow. He started to tremble again. Did he really just hear that? How did he know? "Wh-what did you say?" Izuku stammered in disbelief.

"I said bonne nuit! It means 'good night'," Yuga said.

"Oh… yeah. Good night Yuga. See you in class tomorrow…" Izuku waited until he heard Yuga walk away until he sank back down in his bed. He felt as if a rock has been chained to his back and that a demon was sitting in his chest. His breathing once again became quick and shallow. His vision? Blurry as tears formed. _Did I really hear that?_ Izuku thought, _Did… did Yuga actually say that?_

He felt himself become heavy as if he was sinking deeper into his bed, he felt that all of the memorabilia in his room was watching him. Judging him. He wept. He felt so lost. He felt so scared.

He reached to his bedside table, found his phone, and turned it on. The bright light blinding him for a moment. This was a nightly occurrence for him. Every night he'd been feeling anxious and scared, and had been having the worst nightmares. So he would turn on his phone and play a voice message from a few months ago.

"Hey, Deku!" It was Ochaco's voice. "I just wanna say that I miss you so much and I can't wait to see you when you get back from your training on I-Island. It's been weird without you around! Class isn't as cheery as it was when you're around. Even Bakugo's become more irritable than when you are here!" She laughed. "When you come back, let's go to the gardens, okay? I miss going there with you. Say hi to Melissa for me! I love you so much."

This was the only thing that can calm Izuku down. The voice of his girlfriend, Ochaco Uraraka. He opened his messages and saw the last text he received that night.

**3Uravity3: Good night babe! I'll see you in the morning. I love you 3**

Izuku's breathing slowed down and his heart rate mellowed. He was finally calm. At least, calm enough to try to go back to sleep. He lied back down and put his phone by his head. He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. Izuku focused on his breathing, another suggestion from Hound Dog. He inhaled and exhaled. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. _She's lying. _Exhale. _She's lying, she hates you. _Inhale. _Why would she ever love a worthless piece of trash like you? _Exhale. _Once she finds you out it's over. _It wasn't working. _They'll all find out and you'll be alone. _Izuku pleaded it to stop. _Just like you deserve. _It was just a small voice in the back of his head, it wouldn't shut up. Why is this voice bothering him so much? He knew that none of what it's saying was true but… was it? For the second time tonight he started to cry. Small, weak sobs escaped his throat.

Izuku felt a great chill throughout his body. Which was peculiar since it was in the middle of May. He opened his eyes and he couldn't believe what he saw: his room was encased in ice. Izuku sat up in his bed. He felt the cold pierce his skin, even though he was covered with a blanket. Even though the room was dark, he could see his reflection, and sitting there was not him. It was him, but it also wasn't. Staring back at him was a warped reflection of himself. Eyes? Bloodshot and sunken. Skin? Emaciated and wounded. Body shape? Anorexic.

"We are alone." It actually spoke. "We don't deserve anyone. We are quirkless. We are a thief. We are loveless. We are not a hero."

Deku closed his eyes and covered his ears. _This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real. _

"And we need us."

Izuku's eyes shot open and observed that his room was back to normal. No more ice. Just his regular room. He was shivering. Not from being cold. However, he was shivering from fear. He lied back down, and wept.

"Does… anyone really like me?" he cried softly to himself. He went through his phone again, and played Ochaco's voicemail once more. Darkness eventually overcame him and he was whisked away to the dreamworld, where more terrors awaited him.

* * *

The grandfather clock in the common area of the dorm rooms struck eight times, light shone through the windows in between the blinds, the smell of breakfast was in the air, it was apparent that Class 3-A was getting ready for class. Rikido Sato and Katsuki Bakugo were on breakfast duty this Monday morning and they were cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

"God damn it! Those pancakes aren't nearly done, you dumbass!" screamed Katsuki, stirring the pancake batter with the burning ferocity of ten suns.

"Don't you go telling me how to cook, you phenomenal douchebag!" yelled Rikido, flipping pancakes on four pans while also cooking the bacon.

"You see this egg?!" Katsuki screamed as he cracked an egg in his hand open. "This is gonna be your head when we're in hero training today!"

Rikido flipped a pancake on its uncooked side and violently pressed down on it with his spatula. "And this'll be you when I flatten you like a pancake, you maniac!"

"Guys, guys, calm down jeez!" whined a Ochaco Uraraka as she entered the kitchen with Momo Yayarouzo. The gravity girl's eyes were half closed and her hair was disheveled. She was not ready for the day ahead. The creation girl, however, was fully awake, hair done to perfection, and was ready to take on whatever the day was ready to throw at her. The pair took their seats at the table, Ochaco throwing her upper body onto the table in exhaustion making a decently loud noise. "Ow," she groaned.

"It is much too early for you two to be yelling," Momo stated, with her hand holding her forehead. "Can you two just keep your animosity towards each other bottled until hero training, please? I'm getting a headache."

Kachaan felt a surge of anger well through his body. "Well maybe if you didn't pair me up with this actual _idiot!_ You wouldn't be havin' a damn headache!"

"How does Kirishima do it?! Actually, how?!" Rikido screamed to the Heavens as he put more finished pancakes into the pancake pile.

"They aren't finished!"

"Bite me, asshole!"

Two plastic forks were sent flying through the air, just barely missing Katsuki's and Rikido's faces, and stuck themselves into the wooden cabinets. The two turned to look at the table and they were met with a very pissed off Ochaco Uraraka, arm outstretched and a face that screamed, "Shut up." The two stared in horror at the girl for a moment, then looked at each other, sneered, and went back to cooking. Ochaco gave a small "humph" and sat back down, returning to her exhausted sprawl position on the table.

There was an awkward silence in the air. Until Katsuki spoke up.

"Round Face, where's your boy toy? He should be back from training by now."

Ochaco got out of her tired position and sat up straight. "I don't actually know. He didn't even text me good morning today..." she said as she looked down solemnly.

Katsuki heard this disservice to his ears and snarled, "Absolutely disgusting." He started to stir the pancake batter even more violently now.

Ochaco sighed and pushed herself up from her chair and stood. "I'm gonna go check on him."

"No!"

Everyone's gaze turned to Rikido as his arm was outstretched towards Ochaco. "S-send Bakugo instead! He knows Midoryia pretty well, right?!"

Everyone in the room looked at him like he was an alien from Mars.

Ochaco blinked. "Um… but Sato… I don't thi-"

"Please!" exclaimed Rikido, tears flowing from his eyes and a knot in his throat.

Ochaco's eyes widened in understanding and nodded. "Yeah, Bakugo, go check up on Deku. I'll take over kitchen duties."

"Hell no, you won't," said Katsuki, "Unless you want a shitty breakfa- hey!" Before he knew it Katsuki was suspended precariously in the air. "Put me down you, Deku-lovin' bitch!"

Ochaco walked up to the floating boy, grabbed his leg, turned to face Rikido and cheerfully said, "I'll be right back!" Ochaco dragged Katsuki through the air into the common room with the hotheaded boy cursing her with every name in the book.

* * *

"God damned, Round Face," Katsuki mumbled as he stormed his way up the stairs, "It's her job to be his frickin'- forget it." Katsuki eventually found himself before the door of the one and only Izuku Midoriya. He took in a deep breath. "The things I do for this damn class." He pulled his arm back and slammed on the door. "Deku! Get your ass outta bed it's almost breakfast!" he exclaimed.

No response.

"Deku, you're gonna be late for class if you don't get up!"

Again no response. Katsuki's blood pressure skyrocketed to inhuman levels. "Damn it, Deku! Open the-!"

The door flung open and Izuku appeared where the door once was.

"Jesus, finally. What took… you… Deku, you look like utter shit."

An apt description if there ever was one. Izuku looked entirely different than what he normally did. Instead of his bright green and cheery eyes were dark and reddish in tint. Heavy bags his eyes. His hair was even more disheveled than it usually is. But what struck Katsuki the most was Izuku's skin: it was pale white.

"Hey, Kachaan," he said weakly.

Katsuki eyes widened in shock. He's known this kid for years, much to his dismay, but nonetheless. He knows what Izuku Midoriya was all about. This person standing in front of him was all wrong.

"Deku… what the hell?" he said flabbergasted.

Izuku bit his lip and directed his gaze to the ground, "I uh… didn't get much sleep last night."

"Yeah, no shit…" Katsuki shook his head. "A-anyway you gotta come downstairs uh," he stammered. "Round Face is worried."

Suddenly life sprung forward to Izuku's appearance. "Oh my God, I totally forgot to text her good morning!" he cried, starting a muttering swarm.

Katsuki stared at him in disbelief, shook his head, and started to walk back the way he came. "Absolutely disgusting."

Izuku snapped out of his muttering state and witnessed Katsuki walking down the hall. He started to run towards him. "Kachaan wait," said Izuku as he caught up to him. "I uh, need to ask you a question."

Katsuki sneered. "What is it? It better not be dumb."

Izuku looked sheepishly down towards the ground. "Um… do you think that the class is gonna… find out that I was quirkless?"

Katsuki stopped in his tracks and shot Izuku a look screaming: "Are you serious?"

Izuku winced. "I..ImeanIguessthey'regonnafindouteventuallycuzofShigarakiandtheLeagueofVillainsbutIdon'tknowKachaanI'vejustbeenreallyworriedyouknowhowquirklesspeopleareviewednowadaysImeanit'swrongit'sreallywrongIfelttheworstofitbackingrammarschoolandIguessI'mnotashamedofbeingquirklessbutIdon'tknowI'vebeenhavingthesenightmareslatelyaboutpeopleleavingmeand-"

"Zip it. They're not gonna care," Katsuki sighed, putting his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Listen Deku, I know it's a riot coming from me, but it doesn't matter. If the truth of One for All comes out to the class, who cares? They already like you enough as is. I don't know why, but they do. You being quirkless once won't matter to them. It doesn't matter to me anymore, so why should it matter to them?" He took his arm off of Izuku's shoulder and started to walk again. "That was a really dumb question by the way."

Katsuki's words were as if a sword slashed at Izuku's soul. The opposite of what the words were meant to do to him, but par for the course for Katsuki.

_Anymore?_ Izuku thought.

All of those words, but that is what he focused on. He sighed, and he noticed that he could see his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, the hallway began to freeze with ice. It was crawling towards him, as if it was alive.

"Jesus, Deku, keep moving!"

Izuku jumped at the sudden voice of his classmate, and looked behind towards the hallway. The ice was no longer there. "Oh! Right…" And thus he walked to the kitchen area to greet his classmates, eat breakfast, get a good morning kiss from Ochaco, and start his day.

* * *

"Deku, on your six!"

Uravity's voice pierced Deku's ears as he turned around and gasped as he saw Ground Zero hurtling towards him. "Die!" he yelled.

Deku side stepped to his left, the heat of the ensued explosion just barely singed his costume. "Damn it!" Ground Zero yelled.

_Okay, he's going to follow up with a- Gah!_

A sickening pop was heard and felt by Deku. His left arm burning as it flailed around uselessly. He flew and crashed into a nearby building leaving a crater in the wall. "Ow." he groaned. Deku could hear Sugar Man and Ground Zero arguing in the distance.

"He was mine, dumbass!"

"Why did I have to be on your team?!"

"God, you're so damn useless!"

_Dumbass? _

_Useless?_

A chill ran up and down his body.

"Deku!" Uravity exclaimed, "Are you okay?!" She got on her knees and grabbed Deku's waist, activating her Zero Gravity.

_Deku?_

Deku came to his senses and realized that he was floating in mid air, he sighed. "Thanks, Uravity."

"Oh, thank goodness."

She let the boy down and back on his feet, deactivating her quirk in the process. He faltered to stand up straight. He clutched his dislocated arm in pain.

"Deku, your arm, do you-?" she asked worryingly.

He sighed, "No it's okay. I just gotta…" He closed his eyes and concentrated, suddenly his quirk, Black Whip, shot out of his back and wrapped itself around his shoulder and arm. With sudden movement the arm moved up and a pop was heard yet again. He cried in pain but for just a brief period of time. He took in a sharp breath. "I'm gonna be okay." He gave her a weak smile.

She looked at him doubtfully. "D...Izuku, I think you should take a break for today," she suggested. Deku didn't like what she meant when she called him by his first name. The only time when she calls him, "Izuku", is either when she was being romantic, she was angry, or was worried about him.

She was definitely worried about him, and he hated when she was. He looked her in the eyes, and took a deep sigh. "No, no I'm okay. I just didn't notice Sato behind me," he said, his gaze slowly lowering to the ground, "I should've, though." His fists clenched tightly.

"Izuku," she said, taking Deku's hand, "What did we talk about hypotheticals in battle?"

Deku sighed once again and his directed his gaze towards his partner. "To stop dwelling on things that already happened before I get punched in the face?"

She gave him a bright smile. "Exactly, now come on. Let's crack some heads."

Deku gave a smile back. "Alright," he said softly.

Uravity leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. Deku's cheeks erupted in flames. It's been a year with her and he's still not used to that. "Love ya," he said.

Uravity gave him a wink and turned towards the battle. "We're all going to find out eventually, and you'll truly be alone."

Deku's entire body stopped as he heard this. His heart started to pound. "Wh-what?" he stuttered.

Uravity turned around and faced him with a confused look. "I said I love you too… Hon are you okay?" It happened again. He heard something different. Deku thought about Uravity's question for a moment. Was he okay? Was this a side effect of One for All? Was he having hallucinations? What was happening to him?

Deku swallowed a large lump in his throat. "Y-yeah. Let's finish this." He nodded to Uravity and she, albeit hesitantly, nodded back. The pair ran out of the storefront and ran right back into the battle, ready to face their opponents.

_She's right you know. They will all find out that you're worthless._

Deku kept running.

_She's also lying. She doesn't love you. Why would anyone love you?_

Deku kept running.

_Kachaan was right. You're worthless. You lied._

Deku started to slow down. His vision started to become blurry.

_Everybody pretends to like you. They pity you. When they find out you were quirkless they will all leave you._

His breath started to quicken. The sounds of the world was drowned out from the high pitched ringing in his ears.

_You're a thief. One for All isn't your own. It will never be. All Might is ashamed of you._

He tripped, his face hitting the ground hard. He could barely make out somebody calling out his name.

_You're worthless. You're quirkless. You're loveless. You're trash. You should die. You should die you should die you should die you should die you should die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die -_

Deku screamed.

"Izuku!" Uravity cried.

Sugar Man and Ground Zero stopped their arguing after hearing Deku's scream and both turned to face the boy.

"What the fu-?!" Ground Zero's question was suddenly cut off when Deku suddenly sprinted off further into the fake city.

Uravity cried out Deku's name once again but he couldn't hear her. He ran. Faster than he ever has. Deku found a small bunker, built right after the USJ attack as a precaution to keep students safe if the League of Villains ever came back. Deku entered the bunker, closed the door behind him, and barred the door with a steel pipe, twisting it like a pretzel to ensure no one can get in. Deku faced the door and he started to walk backwards, tears running down his face and his eyes puffy and red. He found a corner and sat down, curling into a ball and closing his eyes. He sobbed loudly. He couldn't believe he just did that. Why did that happen?

"Why… did I do that?" he whispered to himself.

"Because we are worthless."

A sheer cold ran through Izuku's body. He opened his eyes and to his shock the entire bunker was frozen in ice. He looked to his left and yet again in the ice's reflection was himself, a twisted dark version of himself. It was sitting in the same position.

Izuku shuddered. "What do you want with me?"

The reflection spoke. "For us to understand. We are worthless." Mirror Deku stood up, slowly and painfully. "Everything that is good in our life is a farce. We want us to understand this. We will never amount to anything."

Deku closed his eyes in horror. "Are you One for All?" He kept his eyes closed for a while until he opened them to see his dark reflection closer to the ice wall dividing them.

"No… We are us, Izuku," the reflection droned. "Nobody loves us. Not even us. Why should we be loved. We are weak."

"Shut up!" Izuku cried, "I earned this! I earned On-"

The reflection slammed on the ice wall shaking the entire bunker. "No! We do not deserve anything! We do not deserve her love. We do not deserve his praise. We do not deserve their friendship. We are a horrible person! We do not deserve to be a hero. We are quirkless. We are worthless. We are-!"

"Izuku?"

Ochaco's voice cut through the cold air like a flaming sword. "Izuku, can you hear me?"

"Do not answer her, Izuku. She is tricking us," the reflection said, "She is laughing at us, Izuku. She hates you."

"Izuku? Honey?" Ochaco said on the other side of the door, "If you can hear me please say something."

"Don't do it."

Izuku closed his eyes and swallowed a big lump in his throat. "I… I can hear you, Ochaco."

"No! She is trying to embarrass us!" the reflection cried.

A muffled sigh is heard from the other side of the door. "Oh thank God. Izuku, can you open the door for me? We can't help you if you don't open the door."

Izuku let out a small cry. "I-I can't. T-there's s-so m-much i-ice," he stammered, "There's ice e-everywhere."

"We will never let us leave this bunker."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Okay, Izuku what are you doing right now?" asked Ochaco.

"I… I'm in the corner. I'm on the ground," Izuku answered weakly.

A deep breath was heard on the other side of the door. "Okay, Izuku? I need you to listen to me. We can't open the door, you barred it too tight. I know you're surrounded by ice but I need you to be strong right now, can you do that for me?"

"Do not listen to her! She hates us! She hates us! She hates us!" the reflection ranted.

Izuku covered his ears and closed his eyes trying to block out the reflections ramblings, he didn't want this. He didn't want to be what this reflection of himself thought he was. Izuku opened his eyes and put his hands on the icy cold floor. "O...okay. I think I can do that," he said wearily.

"No!" the reflection cried. Izuku ignored his dark self and slowly but steadily rose to his feet.

"I'm standing up," said Izuku.

"Okay, Izuku, can you walk?"

Izuku's breathing started to quicken and become more shallow. "I think, I think I can," he whispered, "Ochaco, there's so much ice."

"I know baby, I know," Ochaco reassured, "Just take it one step at a time, okay?"

Izuku took in a deep breath and tried moving forward, but his legs wouldn't move. "I-I can't do it!"

"Give up."

"No! You can do this, Izuku. I believe in you," she said. Another moment of silence fell upon the pair. "Izuku, okay, remember that really old American Christmas special from the pre-quirk era that you love?"

"She is trying to humiliate us!"

"Yeah, I do."

"Remember that song that you used to sing with your mom from it?" asked Ochaco.

Izuku started to sob as he remembered him and his mom singing while watching it, every Christmas morning. "I do," he cried softly.

"We're going to sing it to help you, okay?" said Ochaco, "We're going to get you out of this."

"No!"

"Okay," said Izuku.

"On three, okay? One… two… three…"

Izuku started to walk forward, incrementally. "Put one step in front of the other," the couple sang, "And you'll be walking across the floor." Izuku's steps slowly quickened in pace. Memories of Christmas' past flashed in front of him, the many years spending it alone with his mother, some with his father, giving Ochaco the All Might charm, and finally the last Christmas he spent with her. A warmth flushed through him as he kept moving forward. The pair kept singing and Izuku kept moving. He could see his reflection yelling at him but he couldn't hear him. He found himself at the door, he made it. He did it. All he needed to do was open the door. He reached to grab the steel bar.

"No! We will not let us do this!" the reflection screamed. Before Izuku's eyes rose a new giant wall of ice, separating him from the door.

"No!" Izuku yelled.

"Izuku?! What happened?!" Ochaco cried.

"I can't get to the door! It's blocked by ice!"

"We will stay here! They hate us! We are safe here!"

"Ochaco, I can't… I can't… I'm useless I can't."

A third moment of silence fell.

"Izuku, yes you can," Ochaco pleaded, "You can do anything."

"No… no I can't," Izuku sobbed, "I'm worthless."

"No you aren't! You're a hero, Izuku!" she cried.

"We are worthless."

Izuku kept on sobbing, he felt so helpless.

"Deku, listen to me. Do you remember why I call you that?"

Izuku hesitated to answer. "Because you thought it was cute?"

"What a frivolous reason."

"No Deku, I call you that because it sounds like the name of a hero. A hero whose entire personality yells, 'I can do it!'" she said, "Do you remember that?"

"Do not listen to her!"

"Yeah I do…" he whispered.

"You are that hero, Deku. You can do anything. You can break this ice."

"Stop it!"

"You are the Deku who can do anything!" Ochaco cried.

Izuku faced the ice wall. His reflection staring right back at him. "We will doom us."

"Shut up." Izuku cocked back his arm, balled his hand into a fist, and closed his eyes and concentrated. Green lightning coursed through his body and power within him swelled. He threw his fist forward and it collided with the ice wall, putting a crack in it.

"They hate us!"

"Is that all you have to say?!" yelled Izuku as he threw another punch, damaging the wall even further. He had to admit he was shaking in his boots. He didn't know if he could do this, but he had to try.

"They will find out and they will leave us!"

Izuku yelled as he punched the wall yet again, pain from the impact coursed through his knuckles. His reflection stood in the ice wall. Even more emaciated than before, the skin even more dead, and his eyes even more red, a gruesome sight for Izuku.

"We will never leave us."

Izuku hesitated. "I know. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "But I don't care." He let out a cry and punched the ice wall, breaking it into a million pieces. When he opened his eyes all of the ice was gone. As if it was never there in the first place. He walked to the door, looked back to the inside of the bunker, took a deep breath, and undid the bar. "I'm coming out, okay?"

* * *

Izuku would've lied if he said he wasn't immediately embarrassed when he walked out seeing all of his classmates look at him with concerned faces. A worried Ochaco throwing her arms around him as he emerged. Mr. Aizawa gave the order: Izuku must take the rest of the day off. He tried to suggest otherwise, but Mr. Aizawa quickly shot him down. Ochaco volunteered to walk him back to the dorms and to stay with him for the rest of the day.

The walk towards the dorms was a quiet one, not quiet born from awkwardness, but quiet born from worry. Every time Izuku spared a glance at her he saw a different emotion paint her face. Worry. Fear. Sadness. Angst. Every time he saw a new emotion, another sword pierced his heart. He hated this. He hated making her worry like this. It's all his fault. If only he was stronger.

Eventually the pair arrived at Izuku's room.

"I'm gonna go change into some clothes from my room, okay?" Ochaco said, holding Izuku's hands together. "I promise I will be right back."

Izuku nodded weakly. "Okay." Ochaco smiled and gave him a small kiss on the forehead. She then walked out of the room. Izuku closed his eyes and took another deep breath. He got up, got dressed in more comfortable clothes, his "t-shirt" shirt and shorts, and sat on his bed. He sat there and he waited for Ochaco to come back.

_She's not coming back. _

That voice came back.

_She'll never come back. She hates you. _

He held his head. "Not again. Not again, please."

"Hey, I'm back."

The thoughts disappeared as quickly as they showed up. There standing was Ochaco in her normal casual wear, a t-shirt and shorts. She motioned him to scoot over and make room for her on the bed. He obliged and she sat down.

Ochaco sighed. "Izuku… we need to talk."

_This is it. She hates you. _

Izuku hung his head in shame. "I… I know."

"Is something bothering you? Something is. I can tell. Don't lie to me, okay?"

"Okay…" he whispered, "I've…. I've been having these nightmares and… hallucinations lately..." He brought his head back up to look at her in the eyes. He told her everything. The ice. The reflection. What the reflection has been saying. His auditory hallucinations. Everything. It wasn't easy. He didn't tell her in a muttering mess. He told her in short bursts of information. As if there was a battle in his head every time he spoke.

"He told me I was a horrible person. That… you don't love me and… everyone will find out and leave me."

Ochaco tilted her head in confusion. "Find out what, hon?"

Izuku froze. _Oh God. _This is it. She was going to leave him. He can't back out. He has to tell her. It was going to come out eventually. His eyes started to blur as tears were forming. Ochaco saw the waterworks flooding and immediately pulled Izuku in a hug.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell m-"

He held her tight. "No. No. I have to say it." He started to hyperventilate. "Ochaco I…" His throat started to swell.

"Just breathe, sweetie," Ochaco shushed, "It's okay."

It took every ounce of bravery in Izuku's soul to say what he said, but he did it. "Ochaco, I was born quirkless and… my quirk isn't mine." He broke. His vision was completely blurred by his tears. He sobbed on her shoulder, probably soaked her shirt in the process. This was the hardest thing he'd ever done. Training for a year with All Might? Child's play. Fighting terrifying villains? A daily routine. Confessing his true nature to the girl he loves? Like trying to push a boulder uphill. _She knows. She knows. _His brain was rushing through every possible outcome. Every outcome was her walking out the door. He braced for her response. But all he found was her grip becoming tighter.

"Oh, Izuku," she choked, "I'm so proud of you."

_What?_ Izuku thought. He broke the hug ever so slightly to look at Ochaco's face, who was also sobbing.

"That must've been so hard for you to say, huh?" she sobbed.

Izuku gave her a confused look. "You're… you're not mad at me?"

"Why would I?" she said, wiping away her own tears, "It doesn't change what I think of you." Her accent started to show. "You're still the amazin' Deku I love."

Izuku was so confused. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to yell at him, call him worthless, say she never loved him, and walk out the door to tell everyone else.

"Ochaco…. I…. I don't know," he stammered, "I can't believe that. I-I don't…"

"You can't believe anybody because you keep thinking of the worst possible scenarios." She put her hand on his cheek, lifting her pinky so she doesn't accidentally activate her quirk. "Izuku, if you can't believe anyone, please try to believe in what I am going to say right now," she said, "I have the deepest and most sincere love and admiration for you. I didn't know it then, but since day one these feelings were there. That love and admiration has to come from somewhere right? You had to do something to make me just… be over the moon for you, right? Izuku, what makes me love you is that you're you. I love every single bit of you. Your flaws. Your strengths. Everything. Even your muttering. It doesn't matter to me if you were quirkless. It doesn't change the fact that you're Deku. The hero who can do anything. You're the Deku who's gonna be the number one hero one day, and…. you're the Deku who I want to spend the rest of my life with. So please… please. If you can believe in anything. Believe that I believe in you."

"Ochaco…" At this point Izuku's room was flooded with both of their tears. This was the hardest he's ever cried. Instead of coldness, warmth flowed through his blood, coursing through his entire body. The warmth of love. "I love you so much," he said hugging her tightly.

"I love you too, Izuku," she wept hugging him back just as tight. The two spent the rest of the day crying, hugging, and talking. When night fell, Izuku's face went beat red when he timidly asked Ochaco to spend the night with him.

"I-I d-don't wanna be alone t-tonight," he stammered. He saw Ochaco's face turn even redder than his.

"Y-yeah. Of course," she said.

Eventually Izuku and Ochaco fell asleep in the same bed, at first it was awkward and the two kept blushing and apologizing for the lack of space between them. However, they found themselves whisked away to the realm of dreams, holding each other close in the waking world. For the first time in weeks, Izuku Midoriya didn't have any nightmares. Because tonight, he believed and knew that he was loved, and there was nothing in the world that would change that.


End file.
